How to Raise a Time Tot
by 10Blue10
Summary: A side story to 'Pregnant Preparations', all about how Emily was raised from the bouncing bundle of joy in chapter eleven to the energetic, lovable tyke in chapter twelve. There will be fluff, cuteness, a little bit of angst here and there, lots of reunions, and all of Emily's firsts. I also plan to do themed chapters, to be uploaded on certain days, as a treat.
1. Chapter 1 - Tears and Tiredness

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

A/N: Hi guys! As promised, I'm writing a side story which covers the gap of time in between chapters eleven and twelve of 'Pregnant Preparations'. It won't be updated as often as 'The TARDIS Family', but it will have a few themed chapters and a lot of cuteness, especially in the early chapters.

Chapter One – Tears and Tiredness

Once Sister Andrea and the other staff were satisfied that both Romana and Emily were both healthy, the Time Lords prepared to leave the TARDIS. This process involved taking Romana back to the TARDIS in a wheelchair, with Emily in a carrier. Then the memories all of all the staff on the ward were wiped, just to be on the safe side; they couldn't have rumours of a new Gallifreyan infant floating around the hospital and then around the galactic sector.

The Doctor collected all records of Emily's existence, and memorised every single detail on them, storing the information away in his mind. Then he tore the papers into tiny pieces, and set fire to them. When they were nothing but ash, he brushed it over to the door. The TARDIS hung in deep space; he opened the door and brushed the ashes out into nothingness.

Romana balked at the idea of going back to their cloud. "It's too dangerous! What if she crawls out the door and off the cloud? Or the cloud evaporates? Don't look at me like that, it could happen!" she'd insisted, on the verge of tears. So to placate her, they landed the TARDIS at Madame Vastra's home. Jenny had all but squealed with glee at the sight of Emily. "Oh, ma'am, she's _adorable_. I'd be quite happy to baby sit her if you ever want me to" she offered at once, cooing at Emily.

Then Strax stomped up and declared "I think, boy, I am much better equipped than you to care for this infant. Unlike you, I am equipped with supplies of first rate lactic fluid".

"So am I, and mine weren't gene spliced! Besides, Romana won't want a Sontaron taking care of her little angel; Emily needs love and tenderness, not military commands and grenades" Jenny retorted. Romana hugged Emily a bit closer to her chest and said "Um, thank you for the offer…both of you…but I can manage".

Jenny looked unconvinced. "Are you sure, ma'am? Looking after a baby is a lot of work" she pointed out, but Romana just pasted on a smile and nodded. "Oh, I know, but Emily and I are psychically linked. She can just tell me what she needs – like now, she says she…needs changing, ah heh, I'm just going to…" Romana fled back to the TARDIS, leaving the others staring after her. The Corsair offered an ominous prediction. "This isn't going to end well".

/

As far as Romana was concerned, looking after Emily would be a piece of cake. She'd memorised all the instructions about how to bathe Emily, change her nappies, and dress her; she'd even practised on a doll! Of course, a doll didn't wriggle as much as Emily…but so long as she stayed with her daughter, and stayed awake, everything would go swimmingly, and her little one wouldn't even have to cry. The problem was that she was exhausted, full of hormones, and generally not thinking straight.

The Doctor, Flavia and the Corsair, as well as Jenny, all offered to help look after Emily, but Romana refused. "I'm fine!" she snapped, when the Doctor tried to convince her to let him put Emily to bed. She began to wail, and Romana simultaneously gave him a death glare whilst attempting to sooth their daughter, rocking her gently. The Doctor backed away slowly, hands up in surrender; it wasn't until he was out of the actual room that Romana calmed down and smiled at Emily, kissing her little head and laying her down in her cot, rocking that as well.

After just two days of attempting to look after Emily on her own, Romana began to wonder if she was going mad. She kept hearing things; Emily crying when she wasn't, footsteps behind her when she was holding Emily that turned out to be the creaks of the TARDIS, and shadows in the nursery that she thought were everything from the Silence to Weeping Angels. "You're not mad, dear. Your maternal instincts are in overdrive but your hormones are messing with your head" the Doctor explained to her, "darling, you need to _rest_".

"No, I'm _fine. _I can manage. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to give Emily a bath" she insisted – before walking out of the nursery. She came back in a moment later, picked Emily up from her cot, and walked out again. The Doctor ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. He _had _to get her to rest; he gave her a couple of minute's head start so she wouldn't realise he was following her, and then he trailed his wife to a bathroom.

What he found when he walked in almost stopped both his hearts. Romana was falling asleep over the bathtub, holding Emily up with one hand; the baby had her fingers curled around strands of Romana's hair as her head drooped over the tub. The Doctor rushed over, pulling Romana back with one hand and holding onto Emily with the other. "Ow!" she winced as Emily pulled her hair, "Wh-what? Oh no, oh dear, I'm sorry, I just"-

"Romana, please, _please _get some sleep and let me take care of Emily" the Doctor insisted firmly, determined not to take no for an answer this time. Romana shook her head helplessly. "I can't, I have to…have to prove…"

"You don't have to prove anything to me, or anyone else"

"_No. _I was trying to prove it to myself, that I could do this, be a mum but I _can't, _I can't do it, I"…Romana dissolved into tears, and Emily, distressed by seeing her mum upset, burst into a wail as well. The Doctor scooped her out of the shallow water and tucked her against his chest with one arm, ignoring the dampness seeping through his sleeve. He put his arm around Romana's shoulders and held them both close, murmuring comforting words and sending them feelings of love until they'd both calmed down.

When Romana had stopped sobbing and was looking at him with red rimmed eyes, he told her "You are a _wonderful_ mother, and you don't need to take care of Emily all by yourself to prove that. Being a mum is supposed to be hard, you're allowed to ask for help, and you have _four_ people willing to look after your baby whilst you rest. I know you were just trying to be a good mum, but this has to stop. If you won't do it for me, then do it for Emily. Just look at this face" he said. Romana looked down at her daughter, who gazed up at her with those lovely blue eyes, and said _Mummy sleep. _

Romana choked out a laugh. "Okay. You're right. I'll go to sleep…will you finish giving Emily her bath?" she asked the Doctor, and Emily grizzled. _No bath! _The Doctor smiled, bouncing her in his arms slightly, and said "Sorry, sweetheart, but you do need a bath. I'll put her to bed and everything, don't you worry" he assured Romana. She got to her feet and began to leave the bathroom, but then she turned back. "What about feeding her? I always feed her before she goes to bed, I'm the only one who can" she pointed out.

"Um, actually Time Tots can drink regular milk and err, your milk…it's a sort of failsafe in case the mother regenerates before the baby is weaned onto more solid food, and she either stops producing milk or turns into a man…didn't you read about that in the books?" he asked. Romana just stared at him, stunned. She slowly turned on her heel and walked away in a daze; he could only hope it was towards their bedroom. _Mummy odd _Emily commented.

"Yeah, your mum has been acting a bit odd lately. She was just trying her best…now, let's give you that bath. Oh, don't grumble, you were going to have a bath sooner or later…"

/

Once he'd given Emily her bath, the Doctor dried her off, put a clean nappy on her, and dressed her in Donna's 'Time Tot' outfit. She looked absolutely adorable, getting cooed and fussed over by Flavia and Jenny alike. The Doctor did a fair bit of fussing himself, but it was _his _daughter after all. Romana's misguided attempt to prove herself led to him not spending much one on one time with Emily, and he was more than making up for it now.

He loved this little girl more than anything else in the entire universe. It made his hearts melt to hold her in his arms, and see her gaze up at him with an endearingly confused expression, like she wasn't sure what to make of him. Her big round eyes were a bright shade of blue, glinting with wonder even now, and her hair was already grown into sweet yellow brown fuzz. She was fond of squirming and wriggling, kicking her little feet energetically. "So much for her not taking after the Doctor, eh?" the Corsair chuckled, "two days old and she's already running".

The Doctor gave Emily a bottle of milk; she was reluctant to drink from it at first, but he managed to convince her it was the milk she normally had, and after that she couldn't get enough of it. Then he cuddled her and read her bedtime stories, all the good ones, until she needed changing again; and then it was time for bed. _Goodnight, my little angel. Sweet dreams _he murmured gently as he laid her in the cot. _Daddy? _

_Yes, sweetheart?_

_Give mummy hug_

_I will, darling, I promise_

He turned the lights to 'night time mode', closed the door softly behind him, and just as quietly opened the door on the right. He got ready for bed, slipped under the covers and wrapped his arms around Romana, burying his nose in her strawberry scented hair.


	2. Chapter 2 - Interesting Introductions

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Chapter Two – Interesting Introductions

**2 Weeks Later **

Romana tipped a bottle of milk and let a little of it drip onto her wrist, testing the temperature. It didn't feel too cool or too hot, so she carried it into Emily's nursery. Her little girl had wanted milk ten minutes ago, but Romana had been asleep and hadn't heard her mental cries. So Emily had begun to cry, and then to scream in earnest. Romana did her best to keep calm. She'd read in a Time Lord parenting book that rushing to fulfil her baby's every whim could make Emily feel self-entitled when she was older.

Emily's eyes were shut tight, her little fists balled and her legs kicking. "Emily, Emily! I've got your breakfast here"Romana told her, feeling waves of hunger and impatience coming off of the infant. Emily peeked at her, and saw the bottle; to Romana's relief her ear splitting cries abated, and she reached up to grasp at thin air, gurgling. Romana carefully lifted her out of her cot, and settled down in the rocking chair.

Soon Emily was drinking contentedly from the bottle, looking up at Romana with those bright blue eyes. "You've got your daddy's eyes, you know" she told Emily, "Well, the eyes he used to have. You've got the hair I used to have as well. Our Emily, half me and half Doctor in one wonderful soul…I love you so much, darling" she murmured, smiling down at her daughter. She sent Emily her love through their bond and felt wisps of love in return, an instinctive display of affection. Her smile grew wider.

_Where daddy? _Emily asked curiously, still drinking. "He's out helping people, but he'll come back soon" answered Romana. After a lot of discussion, the Doctor had reluctantly agreed to go off occassionally and have adventures, save planets and rescue civilisations, whilst she and Emily stayed safe in the TARDIS. He hadn't wanted to leave her, or their daughter, for more than a few hours. This time he'd already been gone for eight hours, she couldn't imagine he'd stay out much longer.

/

At that moment, the Doctor was shaking the furry hands of the Cryoskian World Leaders, after saving their planet from an invasion of a neighbouring species, the Pyroskians. One planet was an Arctic wilderness, with an indigenous and peaceful species that resembled walking, talking polar bears; the other was a volcanic wasteland, with a native and war like species that resembled a cross between a tiger and an eagle. They weren't really like Earth animals at all but that was the easiest comparison.

"We are indebted to you, Doctor" one of the leaders rumbled, "You and your kind will forever be welcome here on Cryoskia". The Doctor thanked him and bowed, then made his lumbering way back to the TARDIS, and walked stiffly up to the console. The Corsair snorted at the sight of him. "Run for your lives, it's the abominable marshmallow!" he cried mockingly.

The Doctor pulled down his hood. "Ha, ha, very funny" he deadpanned, "Just dematerialise us whilst I get out of this thing". After extricating himself from the bulky snowsuit, the Doctor went straight to the nursery, where he found Romana cradling Emily and singing softly. He stood in the doorway listening to her for a minute…she had a beautiful voice. Soon she realised he was there, looked up and smiled at him. The Doctor walked over and knelt beside the chair, smiling down at Emily.

"Hello, girls, did you miss me?" he asked, pulling a funny face. Emily laughed and gurgled, waving her little hands in the air. "I missed you too. I have something for you, Romana" he said, taking Emily from her and placing a neatly wrapped parcel in her lap instead. Curious, Romana opened it to find a soft, silvery fur coat with a snowy lined hood. "Oh, Theta, it's beautiful" she said as she stood up and pulled it on. "It's a gift from the Cryoskians for saving their planet. They're a very generous species, they said we Time Lords would always be welcome there" the Doctor explained.

Romana kissed him on the lips, making Emily grumble that they were being 'icky'. "I love it. I love you" she murmured, "Doctor, I've been thinking. We should visit some of our friends, they were all so excited about Emily, and we haven't even introduced them to her yet" Romana pointed out. The Doctor smiled widely. "That's a brilliant idea! Who do you want to visit first?" he asked. It didn't take Romana long to decide on her answer; "River and Melody".

/

Further investigation revealed that River and Melody were on an excavation site in 21st century China, digging up a large plesiosaurus skeleton. It was very hot, so Romana plastered Emily with factor 80 suntan cream, put a little floppy pink hat on her head and drew the netted cover over her baby carrier. She then proceeded to do the same to herself, apart from the baby carrier thing, much to the Doctor's amusement.

There were a lot of people hard at work, painstakingly brushing and chipping away dirt from the fossilized skeleton. _Wanna see! _Emily demanded, so the Doctor set the carrier down and picked her up, settling her in his arms so she could look at the cliff face. "That's called a plesiosaurus" he explained, spelling it out, "later on we can go see a real live one in the past if you like". Emily gurgled in agreement.

It didn't take them long to find the 'Pond twins'; with their distinctive blond and ginger frizzy hairdos they weren't exactly hard to miss. The Corsair went to alert the two women of their presence whilst the others retreated to the shade of the tents, since Emily was starting to fuss. "Doctor, put her back in her carrier, she's too hot" Romana insisted. The Doctor, still holding Emily in one arm, said "She'll be fine, and besides, she wants to see what's going on".

Romana frowned at him, but then the Corsair returned with River and Melody. "Hello, sweeties!" they both said in unison, laughing. "Gosh, we haven't seen you guys in ages!" Melody commented; then River pointed at the baby in the Doctor's arms. "Is that…?" she asked in a tone of wonder. Romana smiled happily, her annoyance forgotten. "Yes, it is. River, Melody, I'd like you to meet our daughter, Emily Freya Smith".

The sisters showed them into a tent, where they immediately began cooing over Emily. "Oh, you are a sweetie pie aren't you, yes you are, yes you are!" River said in baby talk, before asking shyly, "I don't suppose...would it be alright if I held her?" The Doctor nodded and carefully passed Emily into River's arms. "You are so _cute, _look at you!" said Melody, peering over River's shoulder. Emily fidgeted and gurgled. "What's she saying?" asked Melody.

"She's asking why you're talking so oddly" the Doctor replied, before clarifying "Time Tots like Emily can understand normal adult speech from birth, they just can't speak it. Well, they can, but only telepathically and simply at first".

"So why did you let us talk to her like that?"

"Because it was funny"

"Oh, shut up"

River and Melody had to return to the dig, but they were very glad to have met Emily. "Bring her round to our flat anytime" Melody offered, and River was quick to agree. Back in the coolness of the TARDIS, the Doctor turned to Romana and asked "Who else do you want to visit?"

Romana considered, and finally settled on Martha and Mickey. She'd have liked to see Donna, but the ginger was probably busy with her own children and Romana didn't have the hearts to disturb her. They tracked the Smith-Jones' down to a comfortable looking house on the outskirts of Colchester. The Doctor knocked enthusiastically on the blue door – TARDIS blue! – And heard Martha call from within, "Okay, I'm coming! Be patient, will…Doctor!" she exclaimed, seeing him bouncing on the steps.

"Martha Jones!" the Doctor cheered, hugging his former companion tightly. He pulled back and beamed at her, asking in rapid succession "How've you been? How's Mickey? Can we come in?"

"Sheesh, Doctor, give her a chance to answer" said the Corsair, and the Doctor pouted, much to Martha's amusement. "I'm fine, Mickey's fine, and yes you can come in" she answered the Doctor's questions, before beckoning the Quartet inside. Martha led them to the living room and turned to face them. "So what's the occasion?" she asked, before her eyes fell on the baby in Romana's arms. "Is that..?"

A proud smile burst onto the Doctor's face. "It is! Martha Jones, this is Emily, Emily, this is my friend Martha" he introduced. Martha came closer and had a better look at Emily. "Oh, Romana, she's beautiful. Hello there" she cooed, reaching out to take Emily's tiny hand. The little Time Tot curled her fingers around Martha's thumb, gurgling. "What's she saying?" Martha asked curiously. Romana smiled and answered, "She says hello as well".

Mickey came downstairs, having been in the shower, and sauntered up to the others. "Hey Boss" he greeted the Doctor with a fist bump, grinning, "What are you guys doing here?"

"They've brought someone to meet us" explained Martha, stepping aside so her husband could see Emily. "Oh…wow. You make cute kids, Romana" he complimented – well, sort of – making the Doctor frown. "Hey, I helped make her!" he said petulantly. Romana offered to let Martha hold Emily, carefully passing her to the other woman. Martha rocked Emily, smiling down at her. "How come she has blonde hair?" Mickey asked out of the blue, "you two are brunettes".

"Kids don't always have the same hair colour as their parents, Mickey. Sometimes certain genes can skip a couple of generations" Martha explained, and the Doctor interjected, "Or incarnations; with Time Lords, you see, the genetics for children can be from any of the parent's past incarnations. Remember Jenny?" he asked Martha, who nodded, "She had blonde hair as well, because _I _used to have blonde hair, back in my fifth and sixth incarnations. Emily has inherited Romana's second incarnation's dark blonde hair, and my fourth or fifth incarnation's eyes" he explained.

Martha was keenly interested, and made a note to ask them more questions about their genetics over dinner. Of course, first she had to invite them to stay. "Would you like to have dinner with us?" she asked hopefully; she knew the Doctor didn't really do domestic, but now that he had a baby, maybe he'd changed his mind? "We'd love to, Martha, thank you very much" Romana answered, and the others all nodded in agreement. Martha smiled and gave Emily back to Romana. "Before I start cooking though, there's…something we want to tell you".

Mickey put an arm around her shoulders as Martha smiled happily at the Time Lords. "I'm pregnant" she announced, "five weeks along. We're really excited". There was a pause as the news sunk in, and then many hugs were exchanged, fists bumped and congratulations given. Romana smiled down at Emily, feeling ever so happy. Between Martha's new baby and Donna's twins, her daughter could grow up with good friends, and Romana was determined to make sure that happened.


	3. Chapter 3 - Sitting Telling Stories

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Chapter Three –Sitting telling Stories

_One week later _

"Theta, can I ask you something?" Romana inquired as she snuggled against him, in a rare moment of peace when Emily was fast asleep. "Of course, you can ask me anything" the Doctor replied, smoothing down her hair. Romana sat up and turned to look at him properly. "You know when we went to visit Mickey and Martha? You asked Martha if she remembered someone called Jenny, and I wondered…who is she?"

The Doctor didn't reply, but stared down at their covers, and Romana wished she hadn't asked. "Sorry, if it's private you don't have to"-

"I want to" he said quickly. "I do want to tell you, really, it's just…Jenny was…" the Doctor sighed heavily and revealed, "she was my daughter". Romana's eyes widened slightly in surprise; she remained quiet, waiting for him to elucidate. The Doctor closed his eyes as old memories resurfaced. "Donna and I had just helped Martha stop a Sontaron invasion of Earth…before Martha could leave the TARDIS took off on her own, all the way to a planet called Messaline.

"We were captured, and they made me stick my hand into a progenitor machine. It didn't half hurt. Anyway, it split my DNA, reshuffled it and out popped a teenage soldier" he explained. "And you named her Jenny?" Romana guessed; the Doctor looked regretful and sighed. "No…Donna suggested the name Jenny, after I… after I called her a 'generated anomaly'. Truth is, I didn't really treat Jenny like my daughter, at least not at first. Looking at her brought up too many painful memories, of the children I've lost…I didn't want to let her in and get hurt again, so I pushed her away".

Romana didn't comment, but he could feel her sadness brewing beneath the surface of her mind. "I won't do the same to Emily" he assured her, cupping her cheek. She looked at him with doubt in her eyes and he kissed her. "I promise, I will never push Emily away. It was my last incarnation who met Jenny…by the time he lost Donna, he just pushed everyone away…it really didn't end well. He had a few bad days, but it made _me _realise that I needed people around me. I'm so glad I found you, and that we have Emily. You mean everything to me, Romana".

She smiled, and kissed him back. "I know you love me and Emily, I wasn't feeling sad for us…I was feeling sad for you" Romana confessed, much to the Doctor's confusion. His questioning gaze led her to explain "You said that Jenny 'was' your daughter. Past tense…you lost her".

"…Yeah. She died saving my life…I wanted her to come with me, to show her the universe. I loved her" he admitted, feeling tears prick at his eyes and roll down his cheeks. The bittersweet moment was punctured by Emily's voice in their minds, demanding breakfast. The Doctor quickly wiped his eyes and slipped out of bed, saying "I'll sort her out, you go back to sleep".

He went into the nursery and leaned over the cot, tickling Emily on her stomach. The baby squirmed and giggled, smiling a toothless, drool-y smile. "Hey, sweetheart; I'll bring you some milk in a minute, just be patient, okay?" the Doctor asked, and Emily whined. Patience was not in her vocabulary, literally or metaphorically. The Doctor felt Romana's arms wrap around him from behind. "Hey. I thought you were going back to sleep?"

"I'm not tired. You go and get our princess's breakfast, I'll keep her occupied…and Theta? I'm sure Jenny loved you too" Romana smiled at him, understandingly. The Doctor smiled back; he gave her one more kiss and left to fetch a nice warm bottle of milk for his little girl. Flavia was in the kitchen when he entered, making a cup of tea. "Good morning Doctor" she greeted, "how are Romana and Emily?"

"Morning, Flavia. Romana's fine, Emily is hungry, it's a typical morning" the Doctor said casually, washing his hands and taking one of Emily's bottles from the fridge. "Right, I should've known. Have you got anything interesting on the agenda today?" Flavia inquired as she stirred milk and sugar into her tea. "Um, no, not really. We could visit Arcadia, I suppose, Emily might like to see the flower gardens" the Doctor mused as he mixed nutrient supplements into a bottle of warm milk, pulled on the rubber top and shook it vigorously.

Flavia blew on her tea to cool it somewhat and sipped. "Arcadia would be very nice" she agreed, "I'll mention it to the Corsair if I see him". The Doctor nodded and returned to the nursery with milk in tow. Romana was sitting in the comfortable rocking chair, gently swaying back and forth, cradling Emily on her lap and reading a story to her. "And the three little Sontarons lived happily ever after, the end".

"You'll put her back to sleep if you're not careful" the Doctor said quietly as he crossed the room. Romana smiled up at him, shifting Emily in her arms and taking the bottle. "How do you feel about visiting Arcadia today?" the Doctor asked as he leaned over the back of the chair, gazing fondly down at his girls. "I think it's a wonderful idea. Would you like to go to Arcadia, Emily?"

_What that?_

"No, it's 'what's that'" Romana corrected; she'd been trying to encourage Emily to begin talking – well, thinking – more normally. "Arcadia is great, you'll love it" the Doctor assured Emily, stroking her blonde hair as she eagerly gulped down her milk. After breakfast, Romana strapped Emily with great care into a seat beside the console. They materialised the TARDIS in the gardens of Arcardia – tall, imposing columns wreathed with ivy like climbing plants flanked a wide avenue of grey brick, long since worn smooth with weather and time.

Emily sat in her little TARDIS blue pushchair, looking out with wide eyes at the beautiful myriad of colours spread all over the garden, from exotic flowers of every description. The Doctor pushed her along and happily named all the different kinds of flowers, from Venusian Orchids with their vivid scarlet, to giant daisies big enough for Emily to sit on. She sat in the middle of pure white petals, giggling at funny faces her dad and the Corsair made, and pulled fistfuls of yellow pollen off the middle of the flower. They had to take her off the daisy after that, to avoid the wrath of a moody looking attendant.

They found a little corner of the garden, surrounded by lavender beside a little koi pond, where they could sit and chat in the sunshine whilst Emily napped. Except that the little Time Tot had no intention of napping, and threatened to make such a noise that Romana decided to simply sit Emily between her legs and let her play with rag dolls. Flavia had knitted doll versions of the four of them for Emily…it was one of the calm things she did to 'keep her sanity intact'.

"What shall we talk about?" asked Romana, before continuing, "In fact, I've got a really good story. When I was seventy, my parents got me an air car for my birthday. The thing is", she snickered, "thing is, I didn't actually know how to fly it. I'd just convinced them I did; but I knew how to drive a shuttle, and I figured the principle was the same; it was just in the air instead of on the ground. So I got into the car, and I somehow managed to take off…you know how a bumblebee flies? Swerving from side to side, going in circles, really erratic…that was me.

"Honestly, I really tried to get it under control; I thought something must have been wrong with the car itself, because I was sure I was doing it right…eventually I got the hang of it, and things were going really well, until I _had to come back down. _Long story short, I crashed right into my House. I didn't get hurt, except for a few cuts from broken glass, but boy was I in deep trouble. I had to clean the whole thing up and pay for damages…but I don't regret being that reckless. I was a teenager, and I'd never done anything that daft before, it felt sort of _liberating, _you know what I mean?"

The Doctor gazed at her with an impressed expression on his face. _I was wrong. You could have fit in perfectly with the Deca _he told Romana. _I doubt it, but that's sweet of you to say _she replied, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him. "That is a good story" the Corsair complimented, before adding "But as reckless things go, it's not exactly high up on the list. _Reckless _is going to Earth and convincing the Ancient Assyrians that you're a God".

"Tell me you didn't" Flavia sighed, so the Corsair shrugged and said "Okay, I won't". Romana and the Doctor sniggered, and then Emily giggled as well because they were laughing. "It's not like I _told _them to worship me" the Corsair tried to defend himself, "they just happened to see my TARDIS appear out of thin air, so they thought I was the living embodiment of Anu, the Sky God. I didn't have the heart to tell them otherwise and they weren't trying to sacrifice anyone to me – well, except for a few goats but I'm sure they had it coming. I got bored after a week and went off with the temple cat, Mitsy".

"The Assyrians named their temple cat 'Mitsy'?" Romana asked doubtfully. The Corsair shook his head. "Nah, that's just what I called her; she was a good cat. You know, I heard babies really like pets…" he hinted, glancing at the Doctor. Of course the other Time Lord just blinked at him obliviously and asked "Don't you think Emily is a bit young to have a pet? I mean, she can't even sit up on her own yet" he pointed out. Emily babbled to herself, enthusiastically batting wool-Corsair and wool-Doctor against each other, ignoring the adults completely.

The Corsair rolled his eyes. "I meant for me, you idiot. I'm going to get a cat – or a parrot. Parrots are cool. Oh God, did I really just say that? You're rubbing off on me" he complained to the Doctor, who gave a smug smile before the Corsair's words dawned on him. "But- but – cats have claws! Sharp claws, and parrots have sharp beaks; what if Emily got hurt? No, no. I'm sorry, but I can't take the risk".

"Do you seriously think I'd get a pet that might hurt Emily? You're not the only one who cares about her, you know"

"Corsair, this isn't a big issue"

"Well even if I did say yes, you'd still have to convince the TARDIS, and you _know _how stubborn she can be. She won't want cat hairs and bird feathers lying about everywhere"

"Please, both of you, stop arguing"

"I'd clean them up! See, I'm actually responsible, unlike"-

"Don't you dare say unlike me. You want responsible, Corsair, try keeping the two people you love most safe from _your _enemies"-

"It's your own fault you have enemies!"

Emily began screaming. In an instant, all of the Doctor's anger diminished as he turned to his little girl, trying to comfort her. Romana picked Emily up and cuddled her; when she met the Doctor's eyes, she looked disappointed. The guilt on the Doctor's face was reflected on the Corsair's. They had made Emily cry. "What are we doing?" the Corsair asked rhetorically. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't stop you from having a pet, it's your choice" the Doctor admitted.

"No…it's alright. I guess I was being kind of selfish, just deciding to bring an animal with us. Maybe when Emily's a bit older, I'll get her a pet" the Corsair mused. Emily, who had calmed down by now, announced _Yay want pet! _

/

Hi guys, sorry this update hasn't exactly been speedy. Inspiration was lacking somewhat, and then I had computer troubles, but it's up now! Vworp on!


	4. Chapter 4 - Happy Halloween

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Chapter Four – Happy Halloween

Flavia was in the middle of shaking cereal into her bowl when someone grabbed her shoulders from behind. "Yah!" she shrieked, jumping and sending the box of cornflakes flying. The Corsair promptly cracked up laughing, clutching his stomach. "Priceless! Oh, the look on your face!" he chortled, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. Flavia scowled. "Corsair, that was_ not _funny! Now you've made me spill the cereal everywhere" she complained, looking down at where she'd dropped the box.

The Corsair rolled his eyes. "Alright, I'll clean it up, whatever. By the way, Captain Jack invited me to a midnight Halloween party, "Do you wanna come?" he asked as he went to get a dustpan to clean up the cereal. "No, thank you" she replied as she poured milk into her bowl, and getting a spoon out of the cutlery drawer. "Aw, come on, live a little! Next you'll be saying you're not going trick or treating" the Corsair scoffed. "I'm not. I mean, you know I'm not one for sweets, and all this Halloween stuff just seems a bit silly" she admitted.

The Doctor and Romana stepped into the kitchen with Emily just in time to hear the last part of her sentence. "What?!" the Doctor exclaimed, "You think Halloween is silly? Halloween is not silly, Halloween is fun! Isn't that right, sweetheart?" he asked, playfully tickling Emily in the tummy and making her giggle. "Isn't she the cutest?" her dad grinned, rubbing noses with her, "Yes you are, yes you are!"

Romana smiled fondly at them both before asking, "Corsair, what are you doing?"

"Cleaning up a mess Flavia made"

"I only made it because you startled me"

"It's Halloween; you should have been on your guard"

"I shouldn't have to be on my guard when I'm getting _breakfast_"

"Exactly, that's why I scared you when you least expected it" he smirked at her, chucking away the last of the fallen cornflakes. He grabbed a small pink brain from a bowl on the countertop and tossed it up in the air a couple of times, before biting it in half. "Wan' shum?" he offered Flavia, holding out the marshmallow-y treat. She winced in disgust at his bad manners and shook her head, so he shrugged and popped the rest of the brain in his mouth.

The Doctor bounced Emily in his arms, grinning down at her. "You're looking forward to trick or treating, aren't you?" he asked; she clapped her little hands and giggled, babbling. "Yep, we're gonna get lots of yummy sweets, and you'll be able to play with Liam and Joshua, won't that be fun?" the Doctor asked, and Emily babbled in agreement. "She's less than a month old, she doesn't even have her teeth yet. What is she going to do with sweets?" asked Flavia. The Doctor pouted, and Emily mimicked him, much to Romana's amusement.

Swallowing another mouthful of marshmallow, the Corsair replied "It's not about whether she can eat the sweets, it's about how many her cuteness wrings out of the suckers who're handing them out. It's basically legal extortion" he informed Flavia, and the Doctor frowned. "Hey, we're not taking her along just because people give more sweets to those with cute kids. We're bringing her because this is her very first Halloween, and it's special. The sweets will be a mere bonus" he insisted.

"Exactly, the important thing is that we have a good time and we're together" Romana smiled, kissing Emily on the cheek. Flavia truly hoped that Romana would have the sense not to let Emily eat too many sweets – the idea of a Time Tot who took after the Doctor ending up with a sugar high, or worse, the Doctor himself on a sugar high was a terrifying prospect.

"Little Miss Spoilsport here doesn't want to come trick or treating" the Corsair revealed casually, ignoring her annoyed glare. "Oh, that's a shame. You don't have to come if you don't want to though – does she, Doctor?" Romana asked pointedly. The Doctor didn't appear to notice, and exclaimed, "But you _have_ to come! It's Emily's first Halloween. You don't want to miss your own goddaughter's first Halloween, do you?" he pouted. Then the Corsair asked, "Do you really want to be alone in a _sentient and pretty mischievous TARDIS _on the spookiest night of the year?"

Flavia rolled her eyes and replied, "I just think this whole thing is a lot of nonsense…I'll think about coming, but if I don't I _highly _doubt the TARDIS is going to scare me on purpose" she said confidently. There seemed to be no more to discuss, so they simply went about their morning – making toast, pouring cereal, feeding Emily mashed bananas, and cleaning up the pureed food she enthusiastically smeared across her high chair's tray.

Having come into the kitchen much sooner than the others, Flavia was naturally the first one to finish breakfast. As she walked through the corridors to her room she considered whether she should go trick or treating. _It's not that I want to miss Emily's first Halloween…but there'll be plenty of other Halloweens. It's fine if I miss it just this once…she probably won't even remember this when she's older…honestly, I can't believe the Corsair, trying to convince me the TARDIS would do anything so immature as to-_

The lights that lined the walls and ceiling suddenly flickered and died, plunging Flavia into pitch darkness. "Ha, ha, very funny TARDIS" she said sarcastically, but still the lights did not come back on. Flavia took a few tentative steps forward, saying "Corsair, if this is another one of your silly pranks it isn't funny! Now turn the lights back on, I can't see a thing" she complained. Her foot came down – _crack _– she looked down to see bones on the floor and shuddered. "Okay, they're fake, they must be" she reasoned; she was glad the lights had come on though.

She picked up one of the bones gingerly between her thumb and forefinger, cringing. It certainly felt realistic…not that she knew what bones felt like. If the TARDIS and the Corsair were teaming up to scare her, then it wasn't going to work, but maybe they'd stop if she played along a bit. "Oh, eww, horrid, these nasty bones sure creeped me out, I hope nothing else creepy happens in my room around the corner" she said aloud. Then she waited for a few moments, and when nothing happened, she smiled in satisfaction and walked around the corridor to her room.

The first thing Flavia did was have a shower, and get dressed in her en-suite bathroom. When she emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her damp hair, she saw to her disbelief red liquid dripping down the opposite wall. "No! Ugh, I can't believe the Corsair. He knows I hate mess in my room…what in Rassilon's name is this stuff anyway?" she questioned, wiping a bit of it onto her finger and sniffing it. "It smells like…food colouring and…coolant? I swear; I don't understand that man at all".

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and tried to reach out to the Corsair telepathically, but to no avail. "He's blocking me out, that is just so immature" she sighed, draping her towel over a chair and heading for the door. She fully intended to give the Corsair a piece of her mind, but before she could open the door it opened by itself to reveal a hideous figure. One arm was merely bone up to the shoulder, bloody gashes covered exposed skin and its clothes were tattered. Flavia just stared at it. "Corsair, what in Kasterborous are you _doing_?"

The Corsair pulled off his mask and stared at her in disbelief. "What do you think I'm trying to do?"

"Annoy me? If that is your goal, then congratulations, you've succeeded"

"I was trying to scare you"

"You already did that this morning"

"Oh, that was just a warm up; are you telling me that the bones on the floor and now my pretty awesome zombie costume all did _nothing _to scare you? Not even a little bit?"

"To be honest I thought it might be the TARDIS playing a _very immature _prank on me…I only worked out it was you with the fake blood, because not even the TARDIS would mix food colouring with coolant and make it leak all over the wall" Flavia explained, but the Corsair looked more confused and revealed, "I didn't put food colouring in the…oh. Wow, that is…really realistic" he praised, admiring the 'blood' coating Flavia's wall. "It's a big mess, that's what it is" she complained.

"Okay, if you want I'll help you clean it up; oh, err, you've got a spider on your shoulder" the Corsair pointed out, and Flavia stiffened. "That's not funny" she said in a more high pitched voice than normal. "Erm, I wasn't joking, there's a…" he gestured to her shoulder, and she looked down to see a long legged arachnid sitting there. She clenched her eyes shut and said "Get it off".

"But it isn't going to hurt you"

"Get it off, get it off, get it off!"

"Okay, okay!" the Corsair stepped forward and gently scooped the spider off her shoulder, letting it walk over his hand. "Is it gone?" she asked, still keeping her eyes tightly closed. "Yes" he lied; she opened her eyes, saw the spider and glared at him. "What's the big deal? If you can brush off darkness, bones, bloodied walls and zombies as annoyances, you can't be scared of a little spider…you know, I thought you'd be a lot more scared of all this. I gotta say, I'm impressed" the Corsair admitted.

Despite herself, Flavia smiled. "When you put it like that I suppose a fear of spiders is a bit…"

"Silly?"

"Yes…I still want you to get rid of it though, it's disgusting"

"Alright, hang on"; he released the spider into the corridor. "Thanks…I better go fetch something to clean this mess up" Flavia sighed, turning to the wall, only to find there was not a drop of red stain in sight. "I guess the TARDIS cleaned herself up…speaking of which, I better sweep up those chicken bones before she starts haunting _me_" the Corsair joked, but it kind of fell flat. He cleared his throat and added, "You know, I really think you ought to come trick or treating. It's never going to be Emily's first Halloween again, you know".

/

Hours later, the four Time Lords and one Time Tot had landed in Donna's back garden. The two first time mothers were very happy to see one another. "So this is little Emily, eh? You are just as cute as Martha said" Donna cooed, pinching Emily's chubby little cheeks. She wriggled in Romana's arms, reaching out a pink hand towards her fellow infants in Shaun's arms with their tufts of ginger hair. "This is Liam, and that's Joshua. I bet you're all going to be best friends!" Donna enthused.

The adults (and the babies, according to the Doctor) complimented one another on their costumes. Donna was wearing a Roman toga, Shaun sported a skeleton costume and their twin boys were dressed up as Mike and Sulley from 'Monsters Inc.' Romana was dressed like a witch and Emily was her black cat with a white tummy and little pink ears, the Doctor was an astronaut, the Corsair was Jack Sparrow and even Flavia was wearing a lovely 1920's red dress with a feathered black boa and mask. "I thought you didn't want to come trick or treating?" Romana asked.

Flavia smiled. "Let's just say I was reminded that this is always going to be Emily's first Halloween...besides, the Corsair promised to give me any sour sweets he got" she added, much to said Time Lord's surprise. "I did?" he asked, and she replied "You owe me one for trying to scare me earlier; speaking of which, was it _you _who dripped coolant and food colouring all over my wall?" she asked the Doctor, who stared at her in bewilderment. "What? Why would I do that?"

"Maybe the TARDIS did it" Donna suggested with a shrug. "That doesn't make any sense. Sentient or not, even the TARDIS couldn't do something like that…could she?" the Doctor wondered. They all looked at the blue box suspiciously. "I guess we'll never know" the Corsair shrugged, "and it all got cleaned up anyway. Come on, Emz, let's go trick or treating!" he cheered, and the babies clapped and laughed.

/

A/N: Yeah this chapter is really bad, sorry. I just couldn't decide what to do with it and by the time I thought of good ideas it was too late to write them out. Maybe next year *sigh*. Happy Halloween.


	5. Chapter 5 - Special Steps

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who and I never will

Chapter Five – Special Steps

It was a bright and sunny day, and the Time Lords (plus one Time Tot) were enjoying a secluded beach holiday on Barcelona – the planet, of course, not the city. A few stray noseless dogs wandered about, much to Emily's delight; the ten month old kept trying to crawl after the dogs and had to be brought back to the play mat she was sitting on. Romana had lathered her in high factor sun-cream, dressed her in flowery shorts and a pink t-shirt, and put a little floppy hat on her head. Then she snapped a load of pictures on a camera she'd found, because Emily looked so adorable.

Flavia gasped in shock as cold water splashed against her legs, and she sat up abruptly. "That's freezing!" she cried, and the Corsair shrugged saying, "It's not _that _cold, Flavia. You should come in, the water's great!" he grinned at her, jumping off a flat rock into deeper water. Flavia pulled a face and replied "I'm happy here, thank you very much". She got up and dragged her deckchair out of the way of any more splashes, before settling back down to continue getting a tan.

The Doctor waded from the sea and stood with the waves curling around his ankles, smiling at Romana. "Why don't you come in?" he asked her; she smiled back but shook her head. "I need to keep an eye on – oh! Emily, come here honey", she scrambled over and picked up the adventurous little baby, who kicked and reached out grabbing hands towards the dogs barking at them from the other end of the beach. "Wagabadaba!" she babbled frustratedly. The Doctor nodded in agreement. "You can't argue with that, Ro" he pointed out.

Romana laughed. "Aww, darling, I know you wanna play with the doggies but you need to stay near mummy, so I can look after you" she explained to a pouting Emily. After all, the dogs were noseless, not toothless. She knew she was being a bit too protective but she couldn't help it, Emily was her baby and she'd do anything to keep her safe. _Daddy, I wanna play with doggies! _Emily insisted, changing tactics and appealing to her father instead. The Doctor laughed and replied, "Sorry, sweetheart, but I'm siding with your mum on this one. Then again…it wouldn't hurt for her to just pet one, would it?"

"I suppose not…but they're not even coming near us" Romana pointed out, and the Doctor grinned. "Oh ye of little faith" he said, walking down the beach towards the dogs, who began to bark excitedly at him. "Here, doggy, good doggy!" he cooed, beckoning to the nearest noseless dog, which looked a little like a large terrier. The dog stared at him blankly before giving a loud woof and bounding away, leaving the Doctor feeling rather stupid. It didn't help that the Corsair was watching the whole thing and laughing uproariously.

Try as he might, the dogs simply refused to follow him down the beach. "They're probably think you're a vampire or something; seriously, when's the last time you went sunbathing?!" the Corsair called from the sea. "Corsair, look out!" Romana warned a little too late, as a large wave crashed down right on top of the Corsair, and he surfaced spluttering. "Ha!" the Doctor laughed, before coming back to Romana and Emily. "I guess they're just not going to come over" he shrugged haplessly.

A thoughtful look appeared on Romana's face. "In that case…I guess we'll have to take Emily to them" she decided, getting to her feet and picking Emily up. The Doctor looked at her in surprise. "Really?" he asked, and she sighed. "If we're both there to look after her, I'm sure she'll be alright; besides, I don't want to disappoint her". They walked towards the dogs, which for the most part just ignored them. When they reached the bit of beach that seemed to separate 'their spot' from the dogs, a couple of the larger ones barked warningly.

Rather than alarm her, this just made Emily even more eager to play with them. She stretched out her hands towards the dogs, babbling and gurgling excitedly. _Pet doggies! Cute doggies! _The Doctor took her from Romana's arms and knelt down, letting her stand up as he supported her with his hands around her waist. One of the smaller dogs, which looked like a corgi and a poodle mix, trotted forward and pressed its noseless muzzle onto the tip of Emily's outstretched hand. A wide smile covered the toddler's face as she gently stroked between the dog's large ears.

Her dad held her steady upon the soft sand whilst her mum took photos of her petting the now quite curious dogs. Emily giggled in delight as they licked her hands and cheeks, trying to walk towards them as they moved away. "She looks so precious" Romana beamed, "smile at mummy, sweetheart!" Emily looked up at her, but the smile on the infants face was replaced by a look of confusion as she looked at the camera. Romana took a picture anyway.

The Corsair had emerged from the ocean to watch, and even Flavia was foregoing her sunbathing. "How come you're holding her back?" the Corsair asked the Doctor, pointing at Emily who was still trying to walk on the sand. "I don't think this beach is the best place for her to start walking" the Doctor explained, but he made the decision there and then to put her on a flatter, firmer surface and see what happened. "At least see if she can stand up on her own, she's about the right age" the Corsair suggested.

"Good point. Emily, darling, I'm gonna let you go but I promise I'll catch you if you fall over, okay?" he told Emily, who just blinked at him with those lovable big blue eyes. Slowly, carefully, the Doctor let go of Emily's waist and the adults watched with baited breath, wondering if she'd fall over. To their relief and joy, she managed to stay upright, holding her little arms out to balance herself. They all applauded…then Emily tried to take a step forward, slipped on the loose sand, and fell onto her knees. She whimpered and Romana scooped her up straight away, cuddling her.

"Oh, it's okay baby, you were doing so well! I am _so _proud of you!" she beamed at Emily, brushing the sand from her knees and kissing them. "I'm proud of you too; Emily, you nearly walked! You just need a better surface to practise on, that's all" the Doctor reassured Emily, but the little girl pouted and insisted, _No walk, too hard. _

"No, walking's not hard, you'll get the hang of it in no time" Romana promised. Emily kept pouting and repeated, _Too hard. _"Okay, I think a certain little Time Tot needs a nap, because she's a bit grumpy" her mum decided, carrying Emily back to their spot on the beach and settling her into her carrier, lying in the shade created by the TARDIS and a couple of palm trees. Emily grumbled and protested, but pretty soon she was fast asleep.

Romana gazed at Emily's peaceful little face with a fond smile, but it was swiftly replaced with a look of worry. "You don't think we pushed her too far, do you? What if she's not ready to walk?" she asked the Doctor apprehensively. "Well, um, as far as I know this is the first time she's tried to walk. I mean, we've seen her cruise with furniture, but that was the first time she stood up on her own. Don't worry, Ro" he assured her, "I'm sure if she practices on a better surface, like a nice soft carpet, she'll get the hang of walking in no time".

/

Later, when Emily had woken up and they had left the beach, they all gathered in the playroom. The Corsair manned the video camera, because if this was the day that Emily walked, her parents didn't want to miss a single second of it. Romana held Emily upright around her waist, and the Doctor knelt down two feet in front of her. "Come on, sweetheart, come to daddy!" he beckoned, beaming at Emily, who stared at him in bewilderment.

"He means walk to him, dearie" Flavia interjected, "like you did on the beach". The Doctor nodded and mimed walking with his fingers; then he got an idea and picked up one of her toys, giving it a shake. "Hey, Emily, come and get your rattle! Yeah? Good girl!" he grinned as she reached out towards it, and took a step forwards to keep her balanced. Emily took another step, and another, swinging her chubby little legs out wide to try and stay balanced.

Her mum held onto her until Emily was just a foot away from her dad, and then her arms couldn't stretch any further. Emily paused when she felt her mum start to let go, and felt nervous; she couldn't walk, she'd just fall over again! "That's it, you can do it. Don't give up!" her daddy encouraged, holding out his hands. She'd just need to take a few little steps. One…two…three!

The Doctor scooped her up and spun her around, making her laugh; Romana rushed forward to embrace them both, Flavia applauded and the Corsair punched the air in triumph. "You walked! You walked all by yourself, you brilliant girl!" the Doctor cheered, kissing Emily on the forehead. "That wasn't too hard, now was it? You see, you can do anything Emily. Anything you set your mind to" Romana insisted. Emily beamed, and then…her tummy rumbled. "Bamagugar!" she exclaimed, or in baby talk, _I want banana's and custard!_ and her parents laughed.

A/N: I just wanted to say that I've uploaded images of Romana, Flavia, the Corsair and Emily to my deviantart page, if you want to see them just type in www dot 10blue10 dot deviantart dot com. :)


	6. Chapter 6 - Birthday Bash

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

A/N: Skipping ahead somewhat, but if I tried to keep these chapters in line with their 'real world' counterparts all the time, she'd take forever to grow up.

Chapter Six – Birthday Bash

"Where's Emily? There she is! Where's Emily? There she is!" Romana cooed, playing peekaboo with the toddler in her high chair. Emily's bubbly giggle warmed her hearts so much, as the little girl clapped her pudgy hands together and babbled. "Gen-gen!" she crowed, which was her way of saying "Again!" The Corsair, who was leaning against the countertop with a mug of coffee, said "Mind you don't wear your old mum out, Emz. She's been playing that daft game with you all morning".

Romana rolled her eyes playfully at him. "I don't mind, I'd do anything for my precious angel. Especially on her extra special day" she cooed, pinching Emily's cheeks. She couldn't believe it had been a year since Emily first came into their lives – it felt like just yesterday she'd been holding a tiny pink bundle in her arms. "Gen!" Emily demanded, banging her hands on the tray in front of her. Romana chuckled and tickled her under the chin. "Don't you want breakfast?" she asked temptingly.

"Bana! Corna!" Emily giggled happily, switching from wanting peekaboo to wanting cornflakes with banana in an instant. Romana made to get up, but the Doctor put a hand on her shoulder and said "I'll get her breakfast; you just keep entertaining our little princess". He got to his feet, putting his own bowl of cereal in the sink before shaking out some cornflakes into Emily's favourite blue and pink striped bowl, and thoroughly dousing them with milk. Whilst the flakes turned to soggy mush, he sliced a banana and arranged the pieces into a smiley face.

When he put it in front of Emily and handed her a little plastic spoon, she actually used the spoon instead of trying to smear the food over her face and her high chair. _She's really growing up _Romana sighed, and the Doctor put an arm around her. _Don't worry, love. She'll be our baby girl for quite a while yet _he assured her. Emily stuck her fingers in her breakfast to pick out a bit of banana, and held it out to Romana. _Here you go mummy! _She said cheerfully. Romana couldn't help but smile. "Oh, you eat it, darling. I'm stuffed" she said, rubbing her stomach.

After breakfast, they went to the console room; the plan was to meet with the Nobles and Smith-Jones, including little Maria who had just been born in May. They emerged from the TARDIS into a party held in Donna's spacious garden. Donna and her family were there, as were Mickey, Martha and Maria – even Jack had made an appearance. "Happy Birthday!" they all cheered when Emily came tottering out of the blue box, a gleeful smile stretched across her face.

"Hi Emily! Come give your auntie Donna a big hug!" the ginger woman said enthusiastically, scooping the Time Tot up and cuddling her. Then she set Emily down on the grass in front of her twin boys, and she greeted Liam and Joshua in her own baby language. _Hi Liam, hi Joshua! _

_Hi Emily! _Liam replied, as Joshua gave her a drooling smile. Emily smiled back. _Thanks! _she replied.

_What's a birthday? _Joshua asked in a puzzled tone. His twin looked equally confused, and so did Emily, but for a different reason. _You've had a birthday before, remember_ she reminded them. It was sad that she hadn't gotten to go to their birthday party, but her mummy and daddy were busy saving a planet whilst her godparents babysat her, and they only made it to the day after. _Yeah, but we didn't know what was going on! _Liam protested with a whine.

Emily began stacking brightly coloured cubes with funny patterns like **A **and **B **on them. She was sure they meant something, she just didn't know what. She _did _know what a birthday was though…well, kind of. Not really. _I think it's the day that you're born _she said. This only bewildered Liam and Joshua even more. _So…when this happened to us before, we were being born? _Liam asked, and then Joshua inquired, _So what were we before our birthday? Were we unborn? Were you unborn? _

_What's unborn? _

_I dunno! _

_I know! I'll ask my daddy. Daddy! _Emily called for her father, who was talking to Donna about times gone by and all that. He heard his daughter's shrill mental call, as well as the squeal she made when she was impatient, and excused himself. "Hey, sweetheart, what is it?" he asked, crouching down beside the toddlers, still holding a cup of Ribena. _What's a birthday? _Emily asked. The Doctor blinked. "Beg pardon?"

_They don't know what a birthday is _Emily explained, pointing at Liam and Joshua…but mostly Joshua. _She says it's when we're born. Was she unborn before? _

_Unborn isn't a real word! _

_Is too!_

_Is not!_

_Is too! _

"Boys, boys!" the Doctor headed the twins away from a bickering session and then a full blown tantrum. He tried to think of a good way to explain what a birthday was to one year olds… "Okay, um, a birthday is…it happens every year on the day you were born, and it's when you each get a year older" he told them. _Oh…what's a year? _Asked Liam. The Doctor stared at him.

"Doctor? Is everything okay?" asked Mickey, kneeling down opposite the Time Lord. "Liam doesn't know what a year is" he replied. He had _no _idea how to explain this, it was like trying to explain what water tasted like – it was just something you knew. Mickey raised an eyebrow. "Well, yeah. He's a baby" he pointed out, and the Doctor shook his head. "I speak baby, remember? The kiddies want to know what a birthday is; I tried to explain it, but then Liam asked what a year was. How do you explain what a year is?"

"Oh, that's easy. Just tell them what a day is and work up from there" Mickey shrugged. The Doctor wondered why he'd ever considered the other man an 'idiot' – that made perfect sense, why hadn't _he _thought of that? "Good idea. Emily, boys, you know how you wake up, and then later on you go to sleep again?" he asked them, and they all gurgled in the affirmative. "Well, the bit in between is called a day, and if you put seven days in a row it's called a week, and four weeks in a row is a month, and twelve months in a row is a year. Get it?"

_Yeah…I think _Emily admitted. Liam and Joshua were too distracted by toys to answer, but he supposed they'd learn about it by themselves eventually. The Doctor sighed and ruffled her mop of blonde hair. "You'll understand better when you're older, sweetheart" he assured her. Emily thought of something else she'd never thought about before, but now she was curious. _Daddy? _

"Hm?"

_Where did I come from? _

The Doctor had been taking a sip from his drink when she asked that, and he promptly spluttered in shock. "What?!"

_Where did I come from? _she repeated, a little confused frown on her face. "What did she say?" asked Mickey, looking at him in bemusement. "She…she just asked where she comes from" the Doctor hissed; his friend stared at him, lips curling into a smirk. Mickey tried to resist the urge to snicker and failed miserably. "Oh, well…is that Martha calling me? Gotta go, good luck!" he said hurriedly between snorts of amusement, getting up and leaving the Doctor with three curious and impatient infants.

The Doctor glared at the other man's retreating back, and then took a deep breath and smiled down at Emily. He settled her in his lap and told her, "Well, um…where you come from is…a...space stork! Yeah, a space stork gave you to us, that's what happened" he lied. Emily blinked up at him. _Why? _She asked. He fished for an answer and replied "Um, because I saved his planet. Your mum did as well, yes, we saved the space storks' planet and he said he'd give us anything we wanted and we asked for you".

_You wanted me?_

"Of course we did. We love you, sweetheart". At least _that _wasn't a lie. Emily gave him a toothy grin. _Yay! I love you too…I'm hungry _she decided, moments before her little tummy rumbled. The Doctor chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "C'mon then, there's a slice of cake here with your name on it! What about you two trouble-makers, eh? Are you hungry too?" he asked Liam and Joshua, tickling them on the stomachs. The two boys squirmed and babbled in the affirmative; they were hungry, and did they come from space storks as well?

"Uh, yes? Let me just…" the Doctor cast about for Donna, and spotted her talking to Romana. His wife looked so happy that for a moment he just sat there smiling at her, but then Emily tugged on his shirt impatiently so he reached out to Romana through their bond. _Ro, Emily and the twins are getting hungry, I think now would be a good time to bring out the cake _he told her. She looked over at him, smiled and waved, before walking over with Donna. "They want cake now, do they?" Donna asked with a laugh, bending down to scoop up Liam. Romana picked up Joshua, smoothing out his rumpled clothes.

They set Emily, the adorable little guest of honour, at the head of the table they'd set out full of snacks. _What's cake? _Emily asked curiously. "It's delicious, but I think you'd better eat something savoury first, after your Auntie Donna went to so much trouble, eh?" her dad suggested, piling her paper plate with snacks. "Has she really not had cake before? I can't remember" Romana admitted. The Doctor shrugged. "I guess so…mind you, it's a better question than the last one she asked" he grinned in amusement.

"Why, what did she ask?"

"She wanted to know where she came from"

"…what did you tell her?"

"I told her we saved the space storks' planet and were given her as a gift".

"…"

"Well, what was I supposed to say?"

Romana shook her head in amusement. The Corsair had got out his video camera. "I'm telling you guys, her first time eating cake is going to be _hilarious_" he said enthusiastically, filming everyone around the table but mostly Emily. The cake itself was shaped like a pink and blue butterfly – Emily's favourite colours. A single 1 shaped candle was placed in the middle. "_Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Emily, happy birthday to you!" _they all sang as Flavia carried the cake out and placed it down in front of Emily.

"Blow the candle out sweetheart" her dad encouraged her; she stared curiously at the cake and the dancing flame, reaching out to touch it but it was fortunately out of her reach…and then her nose scrunched up. The Doctor quickly whipped out a handkerchief and held it up as Emily sneezed. The adults chuckled in amusement. "How about we blow it out together, eh?" the Doctor said cheerfully. He and Emily both blew at the flame, extinguishing it, and everyone cheered. Even little Maria clapped in her mother's arms, but mostly because everyone else was doing it.

Then came the moment of truth. Romana cut Emily a piece of sponge cake, and put it in front of her daughter with a "Here you are, darling, yummy birthday cake". Emily did what she would with any unfamiliar food – she poked at it, squishing it between her fingers to try and figure out what it was made of. When the slice was well and truly squashed, she cautiously put a piece in her mouth and her eyes widened. This tasted great! She scooped up a bigger chunk of sponge and icing, sticking it in her mouth and getting a lot of it smeared over her face.

"I think it's safe to say she likes it" the Corsair quipped, and they all laughed again. Emily giggled as well, mouth still full of cake. She couldn't wait for the next time her birthday happened, if it meant getting cake like this!

/

Happy 51st anniversary, yay! Yeah, it's not as interesting as the 50th. Oh well!


	7. Chapter 7 - Christmas Cheer

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Chapter Seven – Christmas Cheer

1 Dec

"Oh I wish it could be Christmas every da-ay! When the kids start singing and the band begins to pl-ay!" the Doctor sang cheerfully off key to the music blaring from the speakers as he danced around the console with Emily in his arms, the toddler giggling hysterically as her father twirled her around. The enormous fir tree standing in a corner of the parlour was being absolutely bedecked in tinsel and baubles. Boxes of decorations, dragged out from deep in the TARDIS and dusted off, littered the floor.

Romana laughed as she watched her husband and daughter dancing together. She hung a holly wreath from a nail above the fireplace, and arranged five stockings along the edge of the mantelpiece. A TARDIS blue one with a furry white rim for the Doctor, a silver one with white stars for herself, a little pink one with yellow polka dots for Emily, a bright red one for the Corsair and a gold and crimson striped one for Flavia.

The Corsair and Flavia were busy decorating more of the giant tree. "You know, if we heap any more up here this tree is going to end up awfully top heavy" the Corsair warned as Flavia handed him another string. "I don't think it's in danger of falling over; and besides, there's only a few more of these to hang up" Flavia replied, untangling some beads.

"I can't understand why the Doctor brought out so many decorations. There are only so many places to put them in here" she commented as she handed a string of silver balls to the Corsair. "True, but what makes you think he's stopping with the parlour? There's still the console room, Emily's bedroom, and I wouldn't be surprised if he decides to _literally_ deck the halls with boughs of holly" the other Time Lord reminded her.

"Don't worry, Flavia" Romana assured her, having overheard the last bit of the Corsair's sentence, "I convinced him that the TARDIS might consider having holly plastered all over her walls to be a health hazard and get rid of it anyway". Of course he still had every intention of turning as much of the TARDIS as he possibly could into a 'Christmas wonderland' for Emily, and she'd heard him chatting to their daughter about his plans to go looking for the ice rink he was sure was on board somewhere, but she didn't bother mentioning that to Flavia.

The Doctor came over and placed Emily in Flavia's arms before pulling Romana out into the middle of the room. "Doctor, what're"- he pressed a finger to her lips and then turned the music back on – she hadn't noticed it had gone quiet. A tinkling melody played out as the Doctor pocketed his sonic, beamed at her, and began to waltz her around the room. "_I don't want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need. I don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree" _sang Mariah Carey…then the Doctor began singing along as well.

"I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know, make my wish come true…all I want for Christmas is you" he sang in her ear, before twirling her around as the beat of the music picked up. Romana laughed joyfully, and Emily wriggled in Flavia's arms, clapping her little hands in glee as she watched her parents dancing. "Cause I just want you here tonight, holding onto me so tight, what more can I do, baby all I want for Christmas is you!" she sang back to him, and he smiled lovingly at her, giving her a dip and a kiss.

When the song ended, they were standing in the doorway. "Well, look at that. We've ended up right below the mistletoe. It sure would be a shame to ignore tradition, wouldn't it Romana?" the Doctor smiled at her. Romana looked up at the mistletoe, and then back at him, a smile growing over her own face. "Yes, I think we should definitely honour tradition" she replied, leaning in to give him a kiss.

Emily pulled a face and covered her eyes. "I couldn't agree more, Emz" the Corsair agreed, having climbed down from the step ladder he'd been standing on, "now then, I don't think there's an inch of this tree that hasn't been plastered with decorations, so do you want to put the star on top?" he asked her, and the toddler beamed happily. "Yeah, Sasa!" she cheered eagerly. The Corsair ruffled her mop of blonde hair, and walked toward the Doctor and Romana. He whistled loudly. "Oi! When you two are done snogging, your little girl wants to put the star on the tree".

The lovebirds broke apart and came back over, holding hands. "Right then! Let's put the star up on that tree, eh?" the Doctor cooed, taking Emily from Flavia and bouncing her in his arms. Emily reached up and playfully tugged at his hair, making him wince. Romana fetched the star from its case – it was a big golden star, covered in glitter, with a cone inside that would slip neatly over the branch sticking up at the top of their Christmas tree.

With great care, the Doctor climbed the ladder with Emily in one arm and the star held by his other hand. The Corsair, Romana and Flavia kept the step-ladder steady as the Doctor balanced himself at the top, and handed the star to Emily. "You keep a tight hold on that, sweetheart" he said encouragingly, hoping she wouldn't absent-mindedly drop it. _I won't let go _she grumbled, as he shifted her in his arms.

He lifted Emily up to the top of the tree and told her, "Okay, put it on the sticky uppy branch at the top there". With surprising care for a one year old, Emily slipped the star onto the branch; it bent a little under the weight, but stayed more or less upright. They all cheered. The Doctor climbed down the ladder, and Romana lifted Emily from his arms as soon as her little girl was in reach. "Oh, well done darling! I think it looks very festive, don't you?" she asked Emily, who beamed happily and nodded.

13 Dec

"It's halfway until Christmas!" the Doctor said excitedly, all but jumping on the bed. Romana didn't even blink as she was jostled about, engrossed in reading her book. "Mm-hmm" she murmured distractedly, turning another page. The Doctor lay down and twisted his head up to see what she was reading. "Ooh, 'A Christmas Carol'! It's a great story, isn't it?" he asked eagerly. Romana smiled and nodded, bookmarking her place. It was clear she wasn't going to read anymore at the moment.

"You know, I was the Ghost of Christmas Past once" the Doctor announced. Romana smiled in amusement and raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" she inquired; the Doctor nodded, and then pulled her up off the bed, leading her into the nursery. Emily was happily dropping multi-coloured balls into a series of twisting tubes, like the sort in hamster cages, and watching them roll, spin, drop and set off little flashing lights. "Hey, sweetheart! D'you wanna hear about how daddy made a grumpy man nice again?" asked the Doctor. "Yeh!" she said, the closest she ever got those days to saying "Yes".

The Doctor beamed and kissed the top of her head. "Look at you! You'll be talking in no time. Okay, it was the Christmas of the year before I met your mother again. My friends Amy and Rory were on their honeymoon, but the spaceship they were on was about to crash!" the Doctor said theatrically, and Emily's little blue eyes went round as saucers. "Luckily, your daddy knew just what to do. He found a machine that could actually control the clouds made of ice all around the planet. The problem was, that the owner of the machine was the only one who could use it".

He took Emily's innocent blank look for a sign to continue and explained, "He didn't like me much, for some reason. He was really grumpy, and he didn't like Christmas". Emily pulled a face as if to say 'Who doesn't like Christmas?' "I know, right? Oh, I also jumped down a chimney, like Santa Claus! We can go meet Santa Claus if you like. Anyway, I went back in time to when the grumpy old man was a little boy, and I took him on adventures, every Christmas for him, because you know, time machine. There was a friend of his with us, called Abigail, who never aged a day". A wistful expression came onto his face.

"She was very pretty, and when Kazran – that was the little boy's name – grew up into a young man, he fell in love with Abigail. But…she was very sick, and she only had a few days to live. Kazran was hurt, in here", he tapped his left heart, "and he got all old and grumpy anyway. So Amy and Rory used holograms to show him all the people on the spaceship, the one that was crashing, and then I…I showed him what he used to be. What he _should _have been. And you know what?" he asked. Emily blinked at him. "He _understood._ He and Abigail helped stop the ship from crashing, and saved the day".

Emily grinned happily, having enjoyed the nice story…then she went back to her tube and ball thingy and ignored her parent's presence completely. "That was a lovely story, Theta" Romana smiled, struggling up out of the bean bag chair she was sitting on. The Doctor helped her to her feet and she gave him a grateful kiss on the cheek. "I'm glad you and Emily liked it…it's a shame really. Abigail's singing calmed down a shark, and we hooked it up to a sleigh and rode through the sky…I wish I could do that with you" he sighed.

Romana smiled and replied, "Maybe one day we will. Now, if you don't mind, I have a novel to read" she finished, giving him a peck on the lips before returning to her book.

24 Dec

The Doctor wanted Liam, Joshua and Maria to stay on the TARDIS for the night of Christmas Eve. "It'll be like a great big sleepover for the kids" he said eagerly, "and then we can go to the parlour and have breakfast and open presents and have a big lunch and"- his ramble was stopped by Romana kissing him gently on the lips. "I just noticed the mistletoe" she explained, looking up at the white berries hanging overhead.

"Oh…when did that get there?"

"I think the TARDIS put it there. Theta, your idea sounds wonderful, but don't you think their families will want to spend time with them on Christmas day as well?"

"Well, their families can come too. Our home is bigger on the inside, Romana, there's room for everyone! The more the merrier!"

"How come you're so eager to have them spend Christmas day on the TARDIS?" Romana asked curiously. The smile vanished from the Doctor's face and he squirmed uncomfortably. "I…um…I just…I think it's safer" he explained sheepishly, straightening his bowtie. Romana's brow furrowed a little in confusion. "I don't understand" she admitted, "safer for whom?"

"Well, for everyone. Haven't you noticed that Christmas usually means loads of running for us? It was like that even before I found you again. The Sycorax, the Racnoss, the spaceship Titanic, the Cybermen, the Master, a crashing spaceship, Androzani getting melted…Christmas is supposed to be about hugging and presents and making snow angels and crackers and eating too much, not invasions and running and death and explosions…I just want Emily's first Christmas to be _happy_, not frightening or dangerous" the Doctor explained, sitting down on the bed with a sigh.

Romana sat down beside him and took his hands in hers. "Oh, Theta; this is obviously important to you, so I'm sure our friends will be happy to invite their families on board the TARDIS. But if there _is _an invasion, you should stop it. I know, you want to spend Christmas with Emily and I; but the universe doesn't always do what anyone wants, you know? I just don't think we're worth not saving the world" she explained. The Doctor pulled his hands from her grasp and cupped her face. "I think you are" he whispered, "but I know you'd want me to save the day, so I will, if I need to. I just hope I don't have to".

A lot of people ended up joining them in the end. Donna, Shaun, their twin boys, her mother and granddad; Mickey, Martha, Maria and Jack; even River and Melody showed up. They put all their presents under the big tree, and the Doctor regaled them all with tales of Christmases gone by; with plenty of good natured teasing from the Corsair about 'what really happened', and lots of laughter from the toddlers when he waved his hands all over the place.

25 Dec

They went to bed, but it didn't feel very long to Romana before she was being woken up by the Doctor bouncing on the bed. "Romana! Romana! Wake up, it's Christmas!" he cried eagerly when she opened her eyes, jumping off the bed and running to the nursery. Romana laughed softly to herself as she got out of bed, and followed her hyper-active husband. He scooped Emily up out of her cot, and she began to wail for being woken up. "Doctor! Now look what you've done" Romana scolded, taking Emily from his arms and trying to soothe her.

"Aww, I'm sorry Emily, I'm just excited. It's Christmas!" the Doctor whispered excitedly. Emily stopped whining and blinked in confusion, before she realised what was going on, and gurgled excitedly. "Cri-ma! Crima!" she laughed as the Doctor tickled her tummy. "Yeah! C'mon, let's go to the tree!" the Doctor decided, scooping Emily up and carrying her out of the room. Romana hurried after them, saying "Hold on, shouldn't we eat breakfast first?"

All seventeen of them ended up eating breakfast in the parlour; and thanks to the upgraded food machines (well, more remodelled entirely), everyone got to have their favourite breakfasts. Then came the best part – opening presents! "I think we should let the little ones open their presents from their parents first" Romana suggested. Everyone was agreeable, so they settled down on the floor or in armchairs, toddlers in laps, ready to open their gifts.

Mickey and Martha gave their infant daughter a stuffed version of Olaf, the Snowman from Disney's _Frozen. _Donna and Shaun had each bought their boys matching jumpers, one that read 'Trouble' and the other 'Makers'. The twins looked absolutely adorable in it. Romana helped Emily unwrap her first Christmas present, from her parents. Emily managed to grasp the wrapping paper in her little hands and tear a piece off, which she then put her in her mouth. "Ah – no, darling, we don't eat the paper" Romana said hurriedly, tugging the bit of paper out of Emily's grip.

The baby pouted and gabbled nonsense – at least it sounded like that to the humans. What she was actually saying was _"But I wanna taste it! It's got pretty colours and sparkly stuff on it!" _

"Trust me, darling, wrapping paper is not tasty at all. Don't you want to tear off the rest and see what your mummy and daddy have got you for Christmas?" Romana encouraged, giving the still half-wrapped present a tempting shake. Emily reached out and pulled at the torn paper, helped along a bit by Romana (surreptitiously, of course) and inside…lay a marvellously detailed, richly coloured plush TARDIS. The little panel with writing on it simply said 'Push Me', but Emily hadn't quite mastered reading yet, so Romana pushed it for her. The toy made a _vworp _sound.

"Where did you get it?" asked Donna, wondering if there was a store somewhere in the universe that sold Doctor Memorabilia. Knowing him, there probably was. "We made it, actually" the Doctor informed her with a smile. "Yes, we bought the materials when we went shopping for gifts; the Doctor made the device that makes it sound like the TARDIS, and I sewed the pieces together, and we filled it with foam stuffing. It's machine washable as well, just in case…just in case she drools all over it, like you" Romana smiled in amusement as Emily chewed experimentally on a corner of her TARDIS plush.

She quickly spat it out and pulled a face. The Doctor was more than happy to show her how to play with it, and whilst he demonstrated, Romana decided to open a present of her own. She picked up a little rectangular present from the top of her pile and read the little dangling starburst tag. 'To the love of my lives, Merry Christmas'; well, at least she could guess who it was from. Excited, she unwrapped the present and opened the black box inside…and gasped. "Oh my God…Doctor, it's beautiful!" she said in awe, holding up a necklace decorated with a silver snowflake, a lovely blue topaz gem set in the centre.

The Doctor smiled lovingly at her. "I'm glad you like it" he said as he put it on her; she turned round in his arms and kissed him thoroughly, whilst the Corsair and Jack wolf-whistled. "I don't like it, I love it" she told him when she'd finished. He grinned happily and picked up a present from his own pile. "Ooh, squishy. Feels like clothing – or a cushion – ooh, or a"-

"Just open it already!" Donna prompted impatiently; he jumped and then tore the wrapping paper off, to reveal a handsome, deep purple jacket. A small card fell out; Romana picked it up and handed it to the Doctor, who read 'To my hero, and my husband, Merry Christmas'. He took off his tweed jacket and pulled the new one on, spinning about in it before pulling Romana into another kiss. "I love it" he murmured to her when he pulled away.

Many more presents were torn open or unwrapped with care; comments of "Ooh, that's lovely!" or "Oh, thank you so much!", or even "Blimey, that must've cost a fortune" were traded back and forth. When presents had been opened, they sat and chatted until lunchtime, where the seventeen of them ate a whole turkey and ham between them.

At long last, sleepy toddlers were tucked into carriers, hugs and farewells were exchanged, guests were dropped off home and a content silence fell over the TARDIS, broken only by the hum of the engines and Emily's sleepy mumbles. The Doctor hugged Romana and Emily to him, resting his forehead to hers. They met in a mindscape of powder snow and fir trees, and kissed beneath mistletoe that appeared out of nowhere. "This was a wonderful Christmas, Theta…and nothing bad happened at all".

/

A/N: This chapter is a lot longer than previous ones, but since it's a special occasion I thought, what the heck. Thank you for reading my stories, guys. Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!


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